POKEMON HEARTGOLD AND SOULSILVER BATTLE FRONTIER

The Battle Tower, led by Tower Tycoon Palmer, is located at the far north of the Battle Frontier, represented by the red circle on the Frontier emblem. This facility, which should be familiar to veteran players, embodies the spirit of Pokemon battling in its purest form.

Battles are conducted with three level 50 Pokemon, and players must defeat seven consecutive trainers in order to stretch out their winning streak. The player's Pokemon are healed after every battle, but can not be switched around in the party.

There are four modes presented to you at the Battle Tower. The guide on the left is in charge of the Multi Battle Rooms, where you can partner up with one of the NPCs you've met previously (like Cheryl from Eterna Forest or Buck from Stark Mountain), or you can connect wirelessly to a friend. The guide in the middle is in charge of the Single and Double Battle Rooms, where you can face a single opponent with one or two Pokemon at a time. Finally, the guide on the right is in charge of the Wi-Fi Battle Room, where you can connect to rival trainers across the world and battle to become the leader of the room.

TOWER TYCOON PALMER

After 20 consecutive wins in the Single Battle Room, the Tower Tycoon will challenge you to a battle as the final opponent in your seven-battle round. Once he is defeated, you are rewarded with a Silver Print, one of five in the Frontier.

In your first battle against him, it should become apparent that Palmer is fond of Pokemon with high Attack/Special Attack stats, while still being able to hold their own. A Pokemon with both a Water/Grass and Ice move will give you a 66% chance of being able to exploit a 4x weakness on Rhyperior or Dragonite immediately. Physical attacks will work best on Milotic, but status effects will activate its Marvel Scale ability, so be warned.

When you have won 48 consecutive battles in the Single Battle Room, Palmer will challenge you once again. Winning this battle will reward you with a Gold Print.

Now that Palmer has legendary Pokemon, you'll need to up the ante. Heatran can be eliminated with a powerful Earthquake, but be wary of the Focus Sash (which will prolong its life to at least two turns). Regigigas's ability, Stall, will work against it for five turns, leaving it open to attack. Cresselia's high defenses will make fainting it difficult, and Leftovers/Moonlight will only further its potential to be annoying. A good Dark type should be able to confront Cresselia, being immune to Psychic.

Strategy

The battling here is Pokemon at its heart, with any Trainer or moveset possible. Therefore, a team of Pokemon with varied roles works well. As your streak gets higher and higher, the competition will strengthen, making balance on your team a priority. For example, packing a team with fragile Sweepers and proceeding to battle Pokemon with high defenses and hitting potential would not be wise. Since your Pokemon are restored to full health after every battle, you can go all-out with powerful, limited-PP moves. That being said, you might want to get a Pokemon that can both attack and defend in the first slot as you are given no hint as to your opponent's Pokemon unless you're facing Palmer. Items such as the Focus Sash and stat-boosting Berries can also come in handy.